Grandparents Love
by Elliewelly1
Summary: Another oneshot. Young Alex is heading with her Mum, Caroline, to her Nans grave for her birthday. She relives the memories of when her Nanny was alive and wonders how she is now.  - Better than it sounds! Promise!


**Grandparents Love**

"Don't hold them too tight, Alex." Caroline warned her daughter.

Alex sat in the back of her mums car, swinging her feet, clutching a bouquet of purple tulips. Her Nan's favourite. She ignored her mum, holding onto them as tight as she could, afraid that she would drop them. She'd already almost knocked them out of her own hands when she had turned her head to look out the window, and her long blonde ponytail had whacked them. They were slightly bent now, but it was too late now, they were only five minutes away now. Well, that's what her mum had said.

"Alexandra-" Her mum's voice started, and she recognised the caution in the tone immediately.

"Sorry, Mummy." She said, loosening her grip on the flowers.

The flowers were for her Nanny's grave. It was her Nan's birthday today. She found it a little weird how her Nan could have a birthday when she was dead. How was she supposed to have a party? But Mummy had assured her that she was having a party with all her new friends up in heaven. That had made her feel better. Her Nanny was a nice woman, and she did like a good party. She wondered what her Nanny was going to wear to her party. A nice pretty dress? She usually did.

Alex felt a little hurt in her chest. Had Nanny found a new family to be happy with in Heaven? She had new friends after all, to replace all the ones that she had down here. Would she find a new family up there, to replace them all? Alex sniffed, and found that her eyes were burning a little. She loved her Nanny. She always used to look after her, when Mummy and Daddy were busy with work. She treated her nicely and was always buying her new toys and new clothes. And she always made her her favourite meal. Spaghetti. Well, she only liked Nanny's spaghetti. It was the best. Mummy's wasn't as tasty.

Alex missed the times when she went round her grandparents before her Nanny died. Mummy would always drop her off and Nanny would smile and envelope her in a massive hug and say, _'Hello Baby girl, I've missed you!' _Which Alex always thought was a bit silly because she'd only not see her Nanny for a few days at the most. And then after the hug, Nanny would let her help with some housework or the dinner, which made her feel grown up. Nanny always said she was the _best _cook in the world. _Better than granddad! _But she always told her not to tell Granddad, otherwise he might get jealous. She hadn't. She'd promised.

Granddad would always be back in time for dinner and he'd smile and hug her, too. After dinner she'd climb on his lap and sit on his knee while he told her the stories of work. Nanny would always laugh and tease him, saying he was too old to be making up stories. But he'd always insist that he was telling the truth. Alex wasn't sure whether he did tell the truth or not, since Nanny always said he was exaggerating, and Nanny was _always _right (Well, that's what Granddad said that he liked to let Nanny think, anyway). But still, she enjoyed it.

When Granddad would go outside for a smoke- Nanny always forced him to go outside, saying it wasn't good to smoke around her- she'd sit with Nanny and Nanny would braid her hair all pretty or help her with her reading. She could read her name now. _Alexandra. _Which was _Nanny's _name. She thought that was a bit silly, that they had the same name. But Nanny always said that it was because she was _special._

They'd watch a bit of TV, and, when Nanny wasn't looking, Granddad would sneak her a chocolate bar. Most of the time Nanny would catch them out, but she would quickly stuff the chocolate into her mouth so that she couldn't take it away.

She'd always curl up and fall asleep against Nanny's side. Nanny would always be in the middle of her and Granddad, and Granddad would always kiss Nanny's cheek and call her beautiful when he thought that Alex was sleeping. But she wasn't. Most of the time.

She'd wake up in her own bed. Which meant that she was back home, and her Mummy must have picked her up some time when she was asleep as usual. Alex would try not to cry then. She'd always want to be back at her Nanny's. But she always knew she'd see her soon.

She didn't though. Nanny had been more tired lately. And one day she just fell asleep forever. Alex didn't go over to see Granddad. She had a few times. His Spaghetti wasn't nice. He didn't tell her stories anymore. And she didn't fall asleep on him like she did with Nanny. She'd stay awake until Mummy picked her up. And there was no moment where Granddad called Nanny beautiful and gave her a kiss on the cheek, because there was no Nanny to do that too.

Mummy would always tell Granddad that maybe he needed to move away, Alex heard them when she waited in the car for Mummy after being picked up, and then Granddad would always get angry. She didn't know why. But she was glad he didn't want to move away. That was Nanny's house. Nobody else deserved to live there.

"We're here, Alex." Her Mummy told her, and Alex quickly jumped out from the car.

She could hear her Mummy's calls from behind her but she ran across the road, just missed getting run over by a nearby speedy red car, and sprinted over to her Nanny's grave. She knew the way to it by herself. Three rows along, and the nicest white one. It was pure white, untouched. Nobody dared get it dirty, and Mummy said that was because they were scared of Granddad.

Alex stopped in front of the grave, and read her name over and over. _Alexandra. _It felt funny, seeing her own name on a grave. "Hello Nanny!" She said, "I brought you some flowers." She placed the tulips gently on her grave. "Well, they're from Mummy and Daddy too, but I held them the whole way here, and I got here first. I hit them a little with my plait, but I know you won't mind."

There was crunching of leaves behind her, and she recognised immediately who it was. She turned around, seeing her Granddad head towards her with her Mummy following anxiously behind him. She turned back to Nanny's gravestone.

"Granddad and Mummy are here now too, Nanny. They want to wish you happy birthday too. I hope you're having a fun party in heaven with all your new friends. But I hope you haven't forgotten me either!" She added quietly.

Her Granddad and Mummy stopped behind her, and neither of them spoke for a moment, so she continued on.

"_I _think it's a bit silly giving you flowers. I mean, I know Tulips are your favourite- and purple's your favourite colour- but I know you liked perfumes and make-up more. You always smelt nice and you always looked pretty with them!"

Her Granddad knelt down beside her, "She's right. You did."

Alex grinned, "See!" Then she turned back to her Mummy, "Don't you think so too Mummy?"

Her Mum sniffed and nodded, "Yeah, I do."

"Do you remember your Nan, Alex?" Her Granddad asked her quietly, and she turned around to look directly in his blue eyes, seeing her own reflection in them.

"Yeah! She used to make me spaghetti and do my hair and make you go outside and smoke. And she taught me how to read my name, we have the same name you know! Because I'm special. And I look like her too, don't I?"

Her Granddad smiled, "Yeah, 'part from the blonde hair, got that from me."

Alex grinned, "She was pretty."

He sighed, "Yeah, she sure was."

"Do you miss her, Granddad?" Alex asked quietly, so that she didn't risk upsetting him.

Her Granddad ruffled her hair, "I sure do, squirt."

"That's good, because so do I." She told him seriously, not caring about her hair.

Her Granddad looked at the grave, "You know what it says on there, Alex?"

"_Alexandra." _

"And the bit after that?"

"_Hunt. Alexandra Hunt."_

Gene smiled, "Clever thing. Just like Bolly."

And a smile spread across young Alex Hunt's face, her hazel eyes lighting up and her cheeks dimpled in happiness.

Gene turned back to the grave, "See yer soon, Bollykecks."

**A/N: Please let me know what you think! Was going to be longer but my laptops dying! **


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